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Production of Knowledge - Printable Version

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Production of Knowledge - Anaximander - 08-28-2012

Hey all, I've been reading up on cardamine and its effects, and stuff is somewhat scattered. The average player seems to have an idea of cardamine being "just another drug", where I see it as something with extremely positive effects (like beta-blockers or cocaine) while having genetical long-term side-effects (something that is somewhat hard to accurately assess in a study in rl contemporary science).

I heard rumours of a "cardamine bible" in the works, with details about the cardamine-nomad link, but I would like to purchase a report carried out by an independent research institute in-rp to scientifically assess the positive and negative effects of long and short-term use of the substance - much akin to what various state medical boards get from their labs in rl in regards to new substances.

The problem is, who can I go to get "valid" research, in the sense that it is aligned with disco lore and can't be disputed or ignored in an arbitrary sense (ie. someone just going "I RP scientist, I say cardi=bad")?

How is valid knowledge produced in our imagined Disco universe?


Production of Knowledge - Echo 7-7 - 08-28-2012

Good and bad are not scientific absolutes. They are a matter of opinion and depend on perspective.

Validity is dependent on context. If someone's scientist character says Cardamine is bad, then surprise surprise, their character thinks Cardamine is bad. The player should not have an opinion on whether or not Cardamine is good or bad since it is a fictional element in a fictional setting, personal prejudices should not influence their character's perspective outside of what role they are consciously playing.


Edit: You made me work to get an answer there. You basically asked "Is player roleplay valid?"


Production of Knowledge - Anaximander - 08-28-2012

Yes yes, I understand. But I was thinking more in regards to validity itself - it doesn't have to be in regards to cardamine, it can be all sorts of knowledge which can easily be swept away by someone in-rp saying "lol no it's exactly the opposite of what your report says, I would know cuz I'm a scientist from Cambridge. Read my background in the bios section, lol".

I know science can have divergent conclusions, and different reports can contradict each other, but the evaluation of the validity of the knowledge produced still takes place within the same enclosed system, based on the same premises and sometimes even the same data.

In other words, I could write a report about cannabis being a super wonderdrug because it relieves cataract, and another scientist could dispute the status of "wonderdrug" by bringing all the negative effects to the table. That would be just fine.

What wouldn't be fine is if someone disputed my claim of cannabis relieving cataract, as that is a scientific fact.

I.e. I am looking for knowledge that can't be disputed or swept away with just a stroke of the pen. I guess others have been in the same situation regarding other factual/knowledge-based stuff.

EDIT: Saw your edit:-) Yes, I guess that is what I am asking.


Production of Knowledge - Echo 7-7 - 08-28-2012

Roleplaying without any consideration whatsoever for the other characters involved in a certain roleplay, in order to manipulate that situation to one's character's advantage, is considered both powergaming and poor behaviour.


Production of Knowledge - Crackpunch - 08-28-2012

Anything by Jameson (I don't know if that was his last forum name) would be a reliable source.


Production of Knowledge - Psymple - 08-28-2012

' Wrote:I guess others have been in the same situation regarding other factual/knowledge-based stuff.

Yes... yes I have...

My answer was "Talk to me (i am the story guy) and I can have it validated and added to Disco Lore."

Despite PM's and requests to talk on skype I cant get to talk to him...

So, lets hope you get an answer.:)


Production of Knowledge - Hone - 08-28-2012

The only way to get indisputable facts is to base them off ingame lore, E.G: Infocards. Rumours can also help, however remember they are only rumours. No, you dont have the right to just make stuff up, and declare it fact. For a good example, take a look at this Gaian investigating:


Production of Knowledge - Anaximander - 08-30-2012

Infocards are just somewhat limited from what I can gather, hardly enough to base a report on, as much of it is just rumours and short personal anecdotes anyways. It would be a shame to let the vast body of RP created by players in the Disco universe go to waste.

Aside from inforcards, how would I go about it if I want such a report? As I see it there are the following options:

1) I just make it myself using Jameson era stuff, set up a bio for this independent research institute of mine (which I don't intend to RP further) and be done with it?

2) Set it up as a peer-reviewed article so to speak, doing the same as above, but paying other RP research institutions to review and comment on the validity of the results?

3) Set up a request for this report in the communication channel or open market, specifying what the framework is/what scientific questions I seek answered and supplying links to canonical or near-canocical information on the topic (as I perceive Jameson's stuff as) with a // in the bottom?